ML19348A044
| ML19348A044 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 10/16/1981 |
| From: | Dircks W NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | Gilinsky V NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8111020100 | |
| Download: ML19348A044 (6) | |
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4 g1 OCT2 71981-MEMORANDUM FOR: Commissioner Gilinsky T"
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William J. Dircks OY Executive Director for Operations ic
SUBJECT:
INCREASED REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSED OPERATORS AND SENIOR OPERATORS FOLLOWING THE T!!I-2 ACCIDENT This is in reply to the request from your office to NRR to summarize the additional requirements which have been imposed on licensed operators and senior operators since the March 28, 1979 TMI-2 accident.
Future additional requirements that will be implemented after Septembsr 30, 1981 are not included.
Information is provided to show the minor differences in requirements between the four major NSSS plants where applicable.
Immediate and near term actions were primarily implemented through Bulletins and Orders issued by the Commission. The Commission decisions related to SECY-330E, " Qualifications of Reactor Operators" were imposed on licensees by the March 28, 1980 letter from H. R. Denton to all power reactor applicants and licensees.
All these post-THI requirements are summarized 'below and further information and details are provided in Enclosure 1.
A.
_ Qualifications In the area of operator qualifications, we have modified the experience criteria to now require that all applicants for an operator license spend at least three months as the extra person in the control room.
In addition, applicants for a senior operator license must hold an operator's license for one year and spend three months as an extra man on shift. The description of respon-sible power plant experience for senior operators has been clarified to be more restrictive so that only control room cperation or staff engineer experience is normally acceptable.
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Training
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Improvements in the training of operators have been made by requir-
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ing training programs to in:lude the topics of heat transfer, fluid
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flow and thermodynamics.
In addition, augmented training in the control and mitigation of reactor transients and accidents is required.
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All licensed individuals and all operating and NT0L plants were required to complete training on the events and procedural changes inmediately following the TMI accidents. The details of this training and the audits conducted are described in Enclosure 1.
C.
Operator Licensina 1
j To upgrade the operator licensing process, we have expanded the MRC operator and senior operator written examination to include a new category in each examination covering heat transfer, fluid flow, and themodynamics.
In addition, the passing grade has been increased from 70% overall to 80% overall, with each category grade required to be 70% or greater. Time limits have been inposed on both the operator (9 hours1.041667e-4 days <br />0.0025 hours <br />1.488095e-5 weeks <br />3.4245e-6 months <br />) and the senior operator (7 hours8.101852e-5 days <br />0.00194 hours <br />1.157407e-5 weeks <br />2.6635e-6 months <br />) written exami-nations. Proctoring of written examinations is now 100% of the time 4
by staff enployees or NRC consultants.
,1 Oral examinations have also been increased to emphasize heat transfer, t
fluid flow, thennodynanics, and recognizing and mitigating core danage.
All candidates for operator and senior operator licenses at plants that s
have specific sinulators have been required to pass sinulator examina-
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tions as of June 1, 1980. We are, also, requirin: all candidates to pass sinulator examinations on non-plant specific simulators (if a plant
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specific sinulator is not available) effctive October 1,1981.
We have reqdired candidates for senior operator licenses, who hold
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an operator license, to~ pass an oral exanination.
In the majority
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of cases, prior to the TMI accident, these licensed operators were
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only required to pass a senior written examination and the oral was a
j waived. Increased operator licensing requirements that have been imposed by the staff are e scribed in Enclosure 1.
1 1
D.
Operator Reoualification Procrams These programs have been modified to include instructions'in heat transfer, fluid flow, thermodynanics, and recognizing and mitigating i
accidents.
The criteria for requiring a licensed individual to participate in accelerated requalification training has been nodified to be consistent with che new passing-grade for issuance of a license, i
1.e., 80% overall and 70% in each category. A modified list of control j
manipulations has been distributed to the plants. Each of these plant-nanipulations or evolutions, as applicable to the facility, nust be completed either annually or biennial by each licensed individual at j
his facility or on a simulator.
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NRC FORM 318110 801NRCM O240
' OFFICIAL RECORD COPY'
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It is our intention to conduct NRC simulator examinations and plant oral and written examinations of '.] censed individuals starting October 1, 1981.
(signed) T. A, Rehm Willian J. Dircks Executive Director for Operations
Enclosure:
- Post Tf!I Accident Operator DISTRIBUTIfA Requirenents OLB Rdg PCollins cc: Chaiman Palladino SHanauer Comissioner Bradford HDenton Connissioner Ahearne ECase
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Comissioner Roberts WDircks f
SECY ED0 Rdg OPE SCavanaugh OGC NRC PDR
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Contact:
RJCampbe11 f'. F. Collins,_NRR 49-24868
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1 POST TMI ACCIDENT OPERATOR REQUIREMENTS A.
Qualifications The March 28, 1980 letter clarified what is acceptable responsible power plant experience in order to be eligible to apply for an NRC Senior Operator License. The clarification states that responsible power plant experience is that time spent as a control room operator (fossil or nuclear) or as a power plant staff engineer involved in the day-to-day activities of the facility, commencing with the final i
year of construction. This definition is mre definitive and restrict-
.ive than the previous criteria for accepthie experience.
I Further, criteria are furnished in NUREG-0737 to establish the 'responsi-ble power plant experience required for a candidate who is a degree holding engineer.
The March 28, 1980 letter requires candidates for a senior operator i
license to have held an operator license for one year. Also, candidates for an operator license are required to have three months on-shift exper-ience as an extra person in the control room.
Candidates for licenses on new facilities are required to meet some unique qualifications designed to l
accomodate the fact that their facility has not been in operation.
B.
Training l
Shortly after the TMI accident, all licensed individuals were required to receive training on the events of the TMI accident and the related procedure and facility design changet that were made at their facilities.
Also, training has been required since the accident on all new procedures which were issued as a result of lessons learned from the TMI accident.
l Teams consisting of members of the Operator Licensing Branca and " made site visits to all PWR operating plants in April 1979 to conduct training sessions with all licensed individuals on the TMI accident and the addi-tior,al NRC requirements. These sessions were repeated several times at each plant so.that all licensed individuals were able to attend and not conflict with their shift assignments..
Staff audits of the licensed personnel at each of the B&W plants were conducted prior to allowing restart of the facilities.
In most cases, the staff detennined that additional training was necessary.,This
' training was conducted by contracted consultants and re-audits were perfonned by the staff. All licensed personnel at B&W plants were required to attend a TMI-2 training session at the B&W simulator.
All licensed personnel at B&W plants were also required to pass a facility-administered written examination on procedural and design changes as a result of the TMI accident. These examinations had a passing grade of 90% and were audited for content and grading by the Operator Licensing Branch. Also, all.B&W licensed individuals are required to attend a one week simulator training program on an annual schedule.
Revised small break LOCA guidelines were developed by each NSS supplier and implemented as procedures at the operating plants. All licensed individuals received training on these new procedures. Selected audits of operators at facilities were conducted by the staff in December 1979 to ensure-that the operators' knowledge of these procedures was satis-factory.
All applications for operator licenses must now be signed by the highest level of management for plant operations (i.e., Vice President forOperations,etc.).
C.
Licensing The written reactor operator examination prior to the TMI accident contained seven categories. This examination was expanded to eight categories on May 1,1980 with a new category on the subjects of heat trasnfer, fluid flow, and thermodynamics.
Prior to the accident, the passing grade was 70% overall. On May 1, 1980, the passing grade was increased to 80% overall and all categories 70% or greater. The senior operator written examination was increased from five categories to six with the new category on the subjects of theory of fluids and thermodynamics.
Increased examination standards were imposed on the following NTOL plants: Sequoyah 1, North Anna 2, Salem 2, and McGuire 1.
Candid-ates taking the written examinations were required to achieve an overall grade of 80% and at least 70% on each category prior to the. normal effective date of P:y 1,1980.
Licensed individuals holding current licenses on Salem 1 and North Anna 1 were required to take complete NRC examinations for the second unit at the respective sites. The previous procedure for obtaining a license on the second unit was to successfully comr'ete a facility-administered lecture series and facility examination on '
any differances between the units.
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In addition to the NT0L plants,-applicants for licenses at Indian Point, Zion, and Rancho Seco were subject to the increased gride criteria on the written examination prior to the May 1,1980
. implementation date. These criteria were imposed for these cases since the issue of operator competency was raised in connection with these plants.
D.
Operator Requalification Programs The additional requirements stated in this letter were made effective starting between May 1,1980, and November 1,1980, depending upon the specific requirement.
Facilities applying for issuance of an Operating License after the H. R. Denton March 28, 1980 letter are required to submit requalifi-cation programs, which contain the modified requalification requirements.
The requalification training in the areas of heat transfer, fluid flow, thermodynamics and mitigating core damage must follow the general guidance of the INPO guidelines.
An additional requirement stated that all license renewal applications operation (gned by ~the highest level of corporate management for plant shall be si for example, Vice President for Operations, etc.).
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